Scaffolding device



Dec. 22, 1953 L. c. M GILL SCAFFOLDING DEVICE 5 Sheets$heet 1 Filed Jan. 2, 1948 INVENTOR.

L n m E O N W Q T T R A E T SW m E L B Dec. 22, 1953 1.. c. MCGILL 2,663,597

SCAFFOLDING DEVICE Filed Jan. 2, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l= -l -fi LEMASTER 0. MG GILL BY OQM ATTOR N EYS Dec. 22, 1953 c, MCGILL 2,663,597

SCAFFOLDING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 2, 1948 Z0 4 /I J 5 "36 2 3 30 /Z9 1 INVENTOR. GI; =19 LEMASTER 0. MG GILL 3 7 I 27 BY 57 40 615 2a 4/ (BOA 25 ATTORNEYS Dec. 22,1953 L. c. M GILL SCAFFOLDING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed- Jan. 2, 1948 INVENTOR. LEMASTER 0. MC GILL ATTORNEYS G SCAFFOLDING 2 eet s heet WO Q Patented Dec. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT m I V -Smif mm Lemastet C. Phillips, Tex, assignor to Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware l Application 2, 1948, Serial No. 11

This invention comprises a scafioldingv-device.

An object of thismventionis to provide ascaifolding structure and supportmg framework therefor which eliminates the necessityoterection from the ground as with the "conventional scafiold- Another object of this invention is to providea new and novel swinging scaffold for use on structures and. especially structures which are of relatively small cross sectional dimensions with respeot to their height, such as, for example,v vertical cylindrical vessels or retortswidely used in cit-refineries.

It is an object of" this invention,- to provide a s me ne" scafiold by means of which various working levels for any point between the ground and the top of the structure may be established 1118 simple A more specific object of the invention is to provide a scaflold support in the form of a," circular frame designed to be attached to the overheadnozzle of vertical cylindrical vesseis such as a fractionation tower, for example.

Other and more detailed. objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description oi the embodiment thereof illustratedin the attached drawings as exemplary oi the principles of this invention.-

a This intentionv resides in the combination, oonstruction, arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawlngs Figure 1 is a top plan view a portion broken away of the circular mast attached to the overhead nozzle of a cylindrical vessel such as is commonly used in the oil industry:

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of this most showing he upper end of the vessel and showme some parts in cross section Figure 3 is a cross sectional view through the circular track forming a part of the circular mast adjacent the bracing members;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of a section of the swinging scaffold;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 2;

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are top plan side elevational and bottom plan views respectively or the structure for connecting adjacent sections oi the circular rail forming part of the circular mast;

V Figure 9 is an inside elevational view of a coinpIete swinging scaffold. section having extensible end sections; and

I Figure 10' is a horizontal cross sectional view through the vessel showing the scaffolding in In the repair and maintenance or many elongated vertical structures such as, for example, the cylindrical vessels used as retorts and reaction chambers in oil refineries, the use oi scafpetroleumindustry, vessels will have a cylindri cal shape and. a central. top outlet, The vessels may reach very substantial heights and, as may be expected, in a. largeinstallation in the industrial atmosphere of a petroleum refinery, a great many details of maintenance require that the workmen obtain direct access to the vessels at any heights Since it is not ptacticable'to equip each vessel with. a scaffold, convenient demountable scaffolding must be provided and it is, accordingly, the basic advantage of the instant invention that a simple structure is providedfor use on individual vessels as it is needed;

The structure disclosed below greatly reduces the costs and time consumption; in. providing the same advantages as the usual type of scaffolding. As will appear later, the amount of material involved in the scaffolding structure is greatly reduced by the use. of the improvement herein disclosed as it is not necessary to build the scatfolding. structure tram the ground to the working level. It will also appear that the improvement herein disclosed is of such a nature that itmay be used on vertical cylindrical vessels oi height diameter with the limitation only that the specific structure disclosed with the vessel carry a centrally located outlet or take-oil connecticninits tophead" I 7 Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the structure is illustrated in connection with a vertical cylindrical vessel i having a centrally located overhead take-off pipe or outlet 2 at its upper end. As is treguently the case, such an outlet is provided with a flanged. coupling member 2 to which a similar member 3' of the adjacent pipe section Sis attached thereto by a series of bolts as is frequently the case and a illus- 3 which after clearing the periphery of the veasel extend downwardly to some lower level as his dicated in Figure 19, possibly nearly to, the ground, The run of pipe- 3 is illustrative of atype of obstruction adjacent the vessel for which provision must be made in providing a scafiolding from which the vessel may be worked upon at any circumferential point aswell as anyve'rtitical point. As illustrated in Figure 10, such'vessets are quite commonly provided with acceswith such vessels which prevent the use of con- I tinuous scaffolding for that reason as will appear later, special arrangements are required. The overhead circular mastillustrated in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive, is, in accordance with this invention, adapted to be supported from the coupling bolts of the flange 2'--3. As illustrated,

20 on the adjacent end of the track section l3. Bolted to the upper flange of the section l2 at its end is a bar I! arranged to overlie the adjacent upper flange of the section l3. It will be seen that this construction provides alignment for the mating ends of the sections l2 and I3 and also provides radial and transverse rigidity to the joint. This strength is further increased by the provision of a turn-buckle by means of which the ends of the sections are tightly drawn together in form locking connection. This construction includes a pair of studs 15 and I6 welded to the top of the sections l2 and I3 and between which extend a turn-buckle l8 by means there are provided a series of radial extending I bars or arms 8 adapted to be attached to the flanged coupling by means of its bolts as clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 5. The outer ends of the bars a are provided with slots to receive the bolts by means of which a pair of semi-circular members 5 and B are adjustably attached there to. The ends of the members 5 and 6 are rabbeted so that they may be engaged at a lap joint and secured together by a series of nuts and bolts 1, alsoillustrated in Figure 5. By means of this construction a continuous supporting ring or the necessary strength is supported from the flanged coupling 2'--3' and can be centrally located with respect to the pipe 2-3 by reason of the slot and bolt connections, illustrated.

Attached to the upper surface of the resulting supporting ring are a series of vertical web plates 8 which are equidistantly placed around the circurnference of the ring and attached to the ring parts 5 and B in any suitable manner as, for example, by welding. Attached at their lower ends to each of the plates 8 on the opposite sides I thereof are a pair of angle iron braces 9 secured to the plates 8 in any suitable manner as by bolts as shown or by rivets, welding and the like. The brace pairs 9 extend radially in an upward direction to a common level and are attached at their upper ends to the plates 10 on opposite sides thereof, again in any suitable manner but preferably by means of bolts. The plates ID are secured to a circular track l I, see Figure l, consisting of several arcuate sections l2, l2, l3 and i3?- comprising quadrants of the circular frame. F

These plates are preferably welded to the top flange of the I-beam and at two diametrically opposed points are secured together by a pair of cross braces 4 which may be in the form of single angle iron pieces equal to the outside diameter of the circular track it or each may consist of two pieces of angle iron substantially equal to' the radius of the track and secured to a centrally located plate 4 illustrated in this case as a disc. At this point it may be noted that the various braces and reinforcing members are preferably attached together by means of nuts and bolts to facilitate erecting and dismantling the structure. By making the braces 4 of two parts detachably secured to the disc 4', these braces when demounted will be of less overall length and therefore better suited to storage than if made in a single piece.

The four arcuate track sections are connected together by a simple attaching means constructed to properly align the ends thereof. Thus, as is shown in Figures 7 and 8 the end of the track section l2, for example, has secured as by weld,- lng to the lower flange thereof an indexing lug l9 adapted to lie between a similar pair of lugs of which the index ends of the sections l2 and I3 are tightly drawn together. In the case where the circular track H is made up of four arcuate sections l2, l2, l3, and 13, it will be apparent as suggested by Figure 1 that four splicing and securing structures of this type are required. When assembled. a continuous circular track is provided on which the scafiold supporting trolleys 2| may operate as suggested in Figures 2 and 3. These trolleys are provided with flanged rollers which operate on the upper faces of the lower flange of the circular track II. The scaffolding is supported from these trolleys by means of the pulley blocks 22 and ropes 23.

The construction of the circular mast as thus described provides a very rigid and strong framework by means of which the loads applied thereto are equalized, distributed and transmitted to the supporting ring 5-6 and hence, in turn, to the vessel I through the overhead outlet 2.

The scaffolding itself is supported from the ropes 23 by means of the pulley blocks 24, two of which are preferably provided for each scaifold ing section as illustrated in Figure 9. The lower pulley blocks 24 are connected to the scaffolding by bridles comprising a series of rods 25 as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 9. w

The scaffolding proper consists as illustrated of main sectionsA and expandable or telescoping sections B mounted thereon; The sections A consist of a pair of longitudinally curved angle irons 21 attached together at spaced points by means of cross braces 28 which may be bolted, riveted or welded thereto as conditions dictate. Attached to the vertical flanges of the angle irons 2! are the reinforcing strips or bars 23 which give additional lateral rigidity to the platform' framework. Extending vertically at the sides of this framework and attached to the angle irons 21 and reinforcing plates 29 preferably by welding are the vertical standards 30 which, in turn, are attached at their upper ends to the longitudinal hand rails 3|. A series of gusset plates 32 are welded at the resulting corners of the frameworkto increase the strength ther'eof'in a well known manner. In the form of structure illustrated the rods of the bridles 25 are secured to the reinforcing plates 32 but an equivalent attachment can be used. A reticulated floor 33 is secured in the platform framework and may be of any suitable non-slip material as, for example. an expanded metal grill.

As illustrated in Figure 9, the vertical flanges of the angle irons 21 are provided with longitudinal slots 34 in which are slidably mounted the transverse'bars' 3'5, see Figure 4. Mounted on the transverse bars 35 and arranged to nest within or telescope with the angle irons Z! are the spaced longitudinally curved angle irons 39 secured together by means of the cross braces 40. The ends of the rods 35 extend beyond the sides of the platform framework of the main section A of the scaffold and receive the integral fittings 37 at the lower ends of the standards 33 of the expansion sections B. The fittings 8i fit over the ends of the rods 35 and are secured in place by means of nuts and washers, as shown. The upper ends of the standards 38 are connected by means of hand rails 38 and the platform of the expansion sections are completed by means of reticulated floors ll which may also comprise grills of expanded metals or the like. The platform framework of the sections B is preferably of a length approximately equal to one-half of the length of the main section B so that when they are fully expanded as shown there will be considerable overlap, as illustrated in Figure 10, so that the sections B when extended will be sufficiently strong to support any normal weight to which they may be submitted. The sections 13 act as cantilevers and when fully extended their bottom frameworks remain telescoped with the bottom frame of the main section A with a distance equal to about one-quarter of the length of the main section as is clear from Figure 10.

The end standards 30 of the main section A are provided with a series of fixtures 39' and by means of which straps, chains or other closure members may be secured across the ends of the section to guard against a workman falling through the open end. Similarly, the end standards of the section B are provided with similar fixtures 36' by means of which those ends will be closed or by means of which securing means may be attached to hold the adjacent ends of two scaffolding sections together in the position illustrated, for example, at the left of Figure so as to, in eifect, form a continuous rail.

It will be understood that the various parts of this structure will be made of suitable material to insure the necessary strength and are of course preferably made of structural steel.

In use, four scaffolding sections of the proper dimensions would be provided to form a continuous platform about the vessel at those vessels where there are no interfering balconies, manways, nozzles, connecting lines and the like. The parts would preferably be proportioned so that when the sections B are extended, the scaifolding is complete circumferentially, and when the adjacent ends are secured together as suggested above, a comparatively safe platform is provided. On the other hand, where the circumferential area of work is limited, it may be possible to complete it with the use of only one or possibly, at the most, two scaffolding sections. Where the work points are at different levels it is apparent that the various sections can be suspended at the diiferent levels, and the work carried on simultaneously at these levels. In cases where the vessel is provided with permanent obstructions it is apparent that a section may be omitted and a partially continuous working level be provided in that region. Thus, by varying the manner in which the structure vide a maximum working area subject to the limis used it is possible to pro- 6 itations of permanent obstructions throughout the vertical height of the vessel.

It is also within the scope of this invention to modify the scaffolding proper so as to eliminate the use of the extension sections B. In other words, one or more sections A of the proper dimensions can be employed without the refinement of the extensible sections B. In some cases, it can be preferable to provide each main section A with only one extension section B.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the circular mast is arranged to provide maximum strength. The A braces 9 preferably extend at an angle of 45 and the inclusion of the X-brace 4 provides a, very rigid structure when the A braces 9 are anchored at their lower ends as shown.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject matter of this invention is capable of some variation in the details thereof and I prefer therefore not to be strictly limited to the illustrative embodiment employed herein but only as required by the claim. I

What is claimed is:

A scaffold formed to be mounted on a vessel having a top central outlet, the scaffold comprising a central planar base flange, said base flange being formed for erection on said central outlet, supports extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, a circular frame carried on the outer ends of said supports and forming the uppermost level of said scaffold, the said top outlet leading from said vessel being below the said uppermost level of said scaffold, a circular track carried by said frame and means for suspending a platform from said circular track.

LEMASTER C. MCGILL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 401,410 Carmichael Apr. 16, 1889 447,898 Nygren Mar. 10, 13 1 582,756 Meissmer May 18, 1897 644,327 Knox Feb. 27, 1900 673,384 Clark May 7, 1901 1,070,910 Nichols Aug. 19, 1913 1,101,182 Hayward June 23 ,1914 1,118,385 Timmerman Nov. 24, 1914 1,179,232 Shewan Apr. 11, 1916 1,271,892 Habeshan July 9, 1918 1,421,609 Sturm July 4, 1922 1,438,062 Semel Dec. 5, 1922 1,739,725 Lamar Dec. 17, 1929 1,856,384 Haber May 3, 1932 2,120,158 Starrick June 7, 1938 2,405,259 Lamb 1 Aug. 6, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,147 Great Britain 1911 626,553 Germany Feb. 28, 1936 

